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I thought we were hated. We were cheaters, dirty, unsportsmanlike, evil...suddenly there's all this love coming from the media.

Peter King has been knpcking Belichick all year, now he's backpedaling. Wilbon was advising teams to go after Brady's knees last month, know he's saying "let him score, how can you not love to watch." Madden is comparing Brady to Montana. Elway stating Brady is better than Elway. All of Boomer's comments about the "legacy" year. What is going on? Seems every profootballtalk segment tonight ends with "not that it matters, the Pats will win by 30 anyway."

So, at what point did we go from heels of the NFL to America's team? I sure as hell missed it.

Trust me, if we had lost the Bills game (lol...) the media would be saying how karma came back to bite the Pats, how horrible we are, how to watch out because the Colts are right behind us still, blah blah.

But after a 40 point blowout against one of the hottest teams in the AFC on the road, all they can really do is...give up.

I really think they are trying the reverse psyhcology aproach.Their kissing ass hoping not to piss off the Pats so they come out flat and get beat.

I listned to freddie coleman on ESPN radio tonight and he had some guest that was a real douche bag saying how the Pats are going about it all wrong and how the games aren't fun to watch because their not competitive.
Not competitive? On whos part?
Like what are they supposed to do not try?Not to bring politics into it but they sound like liberals who think people who get off their ass and go make money are supposed to apologise for being succesful.

what amazes me is how insane some of these people are.I mean over the last month suddenley taking a knee is the most popular play in the NFL.

I think another blowout win contributed. But the way I see it, with Pittsburgh going down to the Jets, and with the Colts losing 2 in a row and then squeaking out a 3 point win at home, they may all just be seeing the writing on the wall. And theyre trying to jump on while there's still room. Pittsburgh was the team everyone was saying was going to take down the Pats in a couple of weeks. So, losing to a 1 win team isnt bad enough. But Polomalu and Santonio Holmes get hurt and theyre looking less likely to pull the upset. So who else is left on the regular season schedule? the Giants? Eli is not beating this team. Some of these guys have been bashing NE all year. Im sure theyd like to save a little face, so someone will still want to give them an interview later on. But home for the playoffs the way this team is playing is gonna be a good time.

The media suck.
Dont forget those a-holes like Collinsworth, King et al.
They will turn on the Pats at the first opportunity.
Its just that the Pats taking care of business in such an amazing way right now. These talking heads (and other fans) have to respect a machine that scores a TD on every possesion.

It really boils down to: what is the story they can run with and will they be able to sell said story? The 'spygate' crap obviously had legs, very long legs. It was the best team in football, the 'model franchise'--something the media had trumped up since the first SB victory in 2001--and the coach who many called a 'genius'. Now all of a sudden they had reason to doubt this perfect franchise: how did they really win all those close games? Was Brady really that good in the clutch or did he know what was coming? All that crap that was spewed for 3 months wsa gold to the media.

Now, however, the story is tired. People are sick of the Patriots, but love them or hate them you HAVE to respect their talent. And that's the new storyline, the one you'll hear the rest of the way (unless, of course, they lose one of these games). It has now shifted into 'perfect season mode', so we'll hear comparisons to the great teams in the history of football, discussions about the Patriots vs. the '72 Dolphins, '85 Bears and '89 49ers. They'll also be talk of Brady vs. Montana, Moss vs. Rice, Belichick vs. God.

Just remember: the media as a whole has no ties to the Patriots. They are reporting the story they believe will attract the most readers and viewers. And that story, at this point in time, is the dominance of the 2007 Patriots.

I think the story of how good the team really is has been gathering moss (pun unintended) since several games before the Colts SB XL1.5 match. And it was started by those who have coached not least Madden and Jimmy Johnston as they gave praise where it was due.

As others have pointed out, quite correctly I believe, the cheater story had run out of gas, as did the vogue to slam Belichick about everything apart from coaching.

Over the last 6 weeks the cogniscenti (players and coaches) have increasingly given voice to awe and praise, so it was inevitable that eventually the pen pushers and the screen hoggers within the media would start to drum their fingers to the rhythm. We even have some like Wilbon who have articulated their appreciation. Others like Costas repeat their pro-Colts refrain. The majority will soon be extolling the Patriots' virtues during the week and on until the Pats lose, which I hope doesnt happen this or even next season.

However dont believe that all will come round, or more imporantly I hope the team ignores all the plaudits (as I know they will) because nothing can be taken for granted. I am glad that others are appreciative as it makes the experience all the more enjoyable.